MILFORD, REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - A rescue dog from Delaware will soon have a place in the White House. The Delaware Humane Association (DHA) has been receiving a lot of national attention because of Major, the German Shepherd President-elect Joe Biden adopted from DHA.
The association tells WRDE they have received overwhelming support from the community.
"Major came in with a litter of puppies that came from a home that they were in an environment where they actually had health issues because of toxic things in the environment," said Meg Searcey, Adoption Center Manager at the Rehoboth Beach DHA.
Major will be the first rescue dog in the White House, after Joe Biden fostered and adopted the dog in November 2018.
"We are a smaller shelter, we have our location here in Rehoboth and our location in Wilmington, and so for our name to be out there nationally, internationally is just incredible," says Searcey.
The rescue success story has played a part in increasing adoption at DHA.
"So I think by having a rescue dog in the White House will really shine a light on look at these incredible animals you can get from anywhere, that you can get from these rescues," said Searcey.
State Representative Bryan Shupe (R - 36th District) tells WRDE he had a "foster fail" and ended up adopting a rescue.
"I think with this people are going to recognize rescue animals are just like any other animal. They need love and they're wonderful dogs," said Rep. Shupe.
Because of all the buzz around Major, Rep. Shupe is bringing HB57 back to the forefront. With this bill he plans to make the rescue dog the permanent state dog of Delaware.
In 2019, Governor John Carney signed a bill that declared the rescue dog as the official state dog of Delaware for a one year period.
"This year we are going to go back, and I hope that with Joe being from Delaware, and having a rescue dog in the White House that we can get that done," said Shupe.
The bill has been drafted and will go out next week for sponsors.
If you are looking to volunteer, foster, and/or adopt please visit delawarehumane.org.